Life in prison for murder; ‘Eggman' shot and killed foe

Gary "Eggman" Fletcher listens to his attorney Michael Johnson during testimony in his murder trial for killing a Florida panhandler Tuesday morning, July 9, 2013, in the Marion County Judicial Center in Ocala, FL. Fletcher is accused of first degree murder of William Harley Shortsleeves on December 29, 2012 at the Love's Travel Stop on SR 326.

Published: Wednesday, July 10, 2013 at 6:50 p.m.

Last Modified: Wednesday, July 10, 2013 at 6:50 p.m.

Gary Arthur Fletcher, also known as "Eggman," was found guilty Wednesday of murdering William Harley Shortsleeves while the man sold flowers made from palm fronds outside a truck stop in 2012, just a few days after Christmas.

Fletcher, 67, a U.S. Army veteran who served in the Vietnam War, will spend the rest of his life in prison without a chance for parole. The sentence was imposed by Circuit Judge Brian Lambert shortly after the 12-member jury returned its verdict.

The panel deliberated for just over five hours on the first-degree murder charge. The state did not seek the death penalty.

A large part of the state's case focused on circumstantial evidence. There were no eyewitnesses who saw Fletcher shoot the victim and no DNA evidence tied him to the crime scene. Though a rifle had been recovered from Fletcher's possession, no direct evidence tied the weapon to the murder.

"Your job is not to exact revenge and I ask you not to," defense attorney Michael Johnson told the jury during closing argument.

He pointed to witness testimony from Fletcher's wife, Carole, who said her husband has Parkinson's disease and has difficulty holding a coffee mug.

According to Johnson, these tremors could make it difficult for Fletcher to hit a target from about 75 feet away, which is what happened in this case.

But in the end the jury decided that assistant state attorneys Robin Arnold and Bryon Aven met their burden of proof.

In laying out their case, which took up most of the two-day trial, the state explained what it believes led up to the fateful encounter.

William Ray, who owns a farm on Northwest Gainesville Road, told the jury he first met Shortsleeves, 56, about six months before the killing. Shortsleeves rented a small travel trailer on the back of Ray's property.

Ray testified that he met Fletcher about two months before the shooting. Fletcher, who runs a nearby farm with his wife, would bring eggs to Ray at least once a week — hence the "eggman" nickname — and the men would chat about farming and gardening.

Testimony established Fletcher and Shortsleeves met more than once at Ray's home.

On the day Shortsleeves was shot in the neck, Fletcher had told Ray that "Mr. Shortsleeves rubbed him the wrong way."

"He said he could beat (Shortsleeves') a--," Ray told the jury.

Amanda Henderson, 25, a relative of Ray's, said that on Dec. 29 she went with Shortsleeves to sell flowers made from palm fronds outside Love's Truck Stop near West County Road 326 and Northwest 47th Avenue.

The pair sat in the grassy median area between the entrance and exit to sell their goods.

While they were there, Fletcher pulled up in a white van. "(Fletcher) got out and came and hit (Shortsleeves) in the face," Henderson testified.

She remembered Shortsleeves asking what this was about. Fletcher told him he already knew.

<p>Gary Arthur Fletcher, also known as "Eggman," was found guilty Wednesday of murdering William Harley Shortsleeves while the man sold flowers made from palm fronds outside a truck stop in 2012, just a few days after Christmas.</p><p>Fletcher, 67, a U.S. Army veteran who served in the Vietnam War, will spend the rest of his life in prison without a chance for parole. The sentence was imposed by Circuit Judge Brian Lambert shortly after the 12-member jury returned its verdict.</p><p>The panel deliberated for just over five hours on the first-degree murder charge. The state did not seek the death penalty.</p><p>A large part of the state's case focused on circumstantial evidence. There were no eyewitnesses who saw Fletcher shoot the victim and no DNA evidence tied him to the crime scene. Though a rifle had been recovered from Fletcher's possession, no direct evidence tied the weapon to the murder.</p><p>"Your job is not to exact revenge and I ask you not to," defense attorney Michael Johnson told the jury during closing argument.</p><p>He pointed to witness testimony from Fletcher's wife, Carole, who said her husband has Parkinson's disease and has difficulty holding a coffee mug.</p><p>According to Johnson, these tremors could make it difficult for Fletcher to hit a target from about 75 feet away, which is what happened in this case.</p><p>But in the end the jury decided that assistant state attorneys Robin Arnold and Bryon Aven met their burden of proof.</p><p>In laying out their case, which took up most of the two-day trial, the state explained what it believes led up to the fateful encounter.</p><p>William Ray, who owns a farm on Northwest Gainesville Road, told the jury he first met Shortsleeves, 56, about six months before the killing. Shortsleeves rented a small travel trailer on the back of Ray's property.</p><p>Ray testified that he met Fletcher about two months before the shooting. Fletcher, who runs a nearby farm with his wife, would bring eggs to Ray at least once a week — hence the "eggman" nickname — and the men would chat about farming and gardening.</p><p>Testimony established Fletcher and Shortsleeves met more than once at Ray's home.</p><p>On the day Shortsleeves was shot in the neck, Fletcher had told Ray that "Mr. Shortsleeves rubbed him the wrong way."</p><p>"He said he could beat (Shortsleeves') a--," Ray told the jury.</p><p>Amanda Henderson, 25, a relative of Ray's, said that on Dec. 29 she went with Shortsleeves to sell flowers made from palm fronds outside Love's Truck Stop near West County Road 326 and Northwest 47th Avenue.</p><p>The pair sat in the grassy median area between the entrance and exit to sell their goods.</p><p>While they were there, Fletcher pulled up in a white van. "(Fletcher) got out and came and hit (Shortsleeves) in the face," Henderson testified.</p><p>She remembered Shortsleeves asking what this was about. Fletcher told him he already knew.</p><p>Shortsleeves — a bigger man than Fletcher — wrestled Fletcher to the ground twice before Fletcher calmed down. Fletcher left, calling to Shortsleeves "you're scared," Henderson told the jury.</p><p>Also taking the stand was Eduardo Karysa, a truck driver who happened to pass by and see the fight, which he described as "brutal."</p><p>He called 911.</p><p>"First thing he (Fletcher) did was kick him (Shortsleeves) … in the face," Karysa told the jury.</p><p>Johnson pointed out a discrepancy: Henderson said Fletcher first punched Shortsleeves, while Karysa said he kicked him first.</p><p>The Marion County Sheriff's Office responded to the 911 call around 2 p.m. Fletcher was gone by then.</p><p>Later, about 4:50 p.m., 911 received more phone calls from customers in the parking lot of the same truck stop. They had heard a gunshot and saw Shortsleeves on his back, bleeding.</p><p>Deputies who arrived on the scene asked Shortsleeves who had done this to him. According to one account he said "Eggman" in a soft voice.</p><p>Johnson pointed out that another responder on the scene thought Shortsleeves had said "Hagman."</p><p>Since authorities were already familiar with the earlier altercation and knew Fletcher drove a white van, they signaled for deputies to watch for a white van.</p><p>Soon after, a deputy pulled over Fletcher driving his van near County Road 225A and Northwest 110st Street for a felony traffic stop.</p><p>Fletcher had cuts all over his hands and arms at the time of arrest; the jury saw pictures showing those wounds.</p><p>The state argued that the cuts came from briars in the area across the way from the truck stop, where Fletcher could have positioned himself to shoot Shortsleeves.</p><p>There was no witness to the shooting. However, a rifle was found inside the van and two shell casings found in Fletcher's pocket.</p><p>Shortsleeves died months later from complications of the gunshot wound to the neck.</p><p><i>Contact April Warren at 867-4065 or april.warren@ocala.com.</i></p>